75 Interesting Facts About Texas

Explore the Lone Star State like never before with our collection of fascinating facts about Texas. From its vast landscapes and historic landmarks to its unique culture and notable figures, delve into the intriguing details that make Texas a place of endless discovery and adventure.

Learning about the various states’ geography, history, culture, and notable achievements enriches our understanding of the diverse tapestry that makes up The United States of America. This knowledge not only cultivates a sense of national identity but also fosters appreciation for the unique contributions of each state to the country’s collective legacy.

In a classroom setting, incorporating facts about states can make lessons more engaging and relevant, encouraging students to draw connections between their lives and the wider world. At home, exploring these facts can be a fun and educational activity for families, sparking curiosity and potentially inspiring travel plans to explore these destinations firsthand.

Facts about Texas

1. Dr. Pepper was invented in Texas in 1885 by Charles Alderton in Waco. Dr. Pepper was first nationally marketed in 1904 and is now sold all over the world. The recipe is a secret and is kept in two halves in safety deposit boxes located in two different Dallas banks.
2. Texas is the second largest state in the USA. It’s 268,596 square miles – which is nearly three times bigger than the whole of the UK!
3. Texas is a large state right in the middle of the southern United States.
4. Texas’ name comes from a Caddo Indian word, “teycha,” which translates to friends or allies. This name was given by the native people who lived here before the Spanish conquest.
5. According to the 2020 census, there were ten U.S. cities with populations of over a million people. Three were in Texas, with Houston at over 2.3 million, San Antonio at nearly 1.5 million, and Dallas at about 1.3 million.
6. An independent Texas would have the world’s 14th-largest economy, just behind Spain and ahead of Mexico.
7. Before the settlement of the Europeans in Texas, the land was home to the Indians of Texas (Native American Tribes).
8. The Buc-ee’s convenience store in New Braunfels, Texas holds the record for the World’s Largest Convenience Store, coming in at a massive 66,335 square feet!
9. The first frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas.
10. Texans are friendly. It doesn’t matter if you are in the small towns of Texas, or the big cities, you will find that the majority of people in Texas are extremely friendly. 

11. The capital of Texas is Austin. It has a population of 965,872 (as of 2020), which is only the 4th highest in the state.
12. Because of the sheer size of Texas, the state boasts seven major regions that each feature unique landscapes, plants, and wildlife including Big Bend Country, Texas Hill Country, South Texas Plains, Panhandle Plains, Gulf Coast, Piney Woods, and Prairies and Lakes.
13. The Texas Triangle (known as Texaplex) is made up of the four major cities of Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. With a total population of 21 million, it is considered one of the megaregions of the U.S.
14. Austin, Texas’s largest city, is known as the “live music capital of the world,” boasting several major festivals like South by Southwest and Austin City Limits.
15. Before Texas became a U.S. state, it was a sovereign country from 1836 to 1845. Most U.S. states were annexed territories or land ceded by another government. 
16. Over 125,000 Texans also signed a petition on the White House website requesting that Texas be granted permission to secede, which sparked a counter-petition from citizens of Austin requesting that they be allowed to secede from Texas and remain part of the union. 
17. Sam Houston was the first president of the Republic of Texas.
18. Sam Houston has a statue and it is the largest statue in America that is modeled after a real person. It is 67 feet tall. It was erected in 1994 with 30 tons of concrete and steel. The statue is called “Big Sam” by locals, but its official name is “A Tribute to Courage.­” 
19. Montana Silversmiths in Dallas recently claimed the Guinness Book of World Records title for the World’s Largest Belt Buckle measuring up at 10’6″ tall and 14’6.5″ wide.
20. Six different flags have ruled over Texas.  These six countries include Spain, France, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America. 

21. An early image of the Lone Star flag was drawn by Dr. Charles B. Stewart, but no one knows who is responsible for actually designing it. Stewart’s drawing was used when the flag was being enacted by legislation, but the origin of the design remains a mystery.
22. The most populous city in Texas is Houston with a population of 2.313 million (as of 2020), which makes it the 4th most populous city in the whole of the USA.
23. The Lone Star State has the second-largest landmass in the country. 
24. In the past, Texas has been a part of Mexico and has been its own country, called the Republic of Texas. 
25. Tyler is home to the country’s largest rose garden, spanning 14 acres and showcasing a staggering 38,000 rose bushes of up to 500 species. Thousands of tourists flock to the city each October to enjoy the Texas Rose Festival, a 3-day celebration of all things floral that has been taking place since 1933.
26. The nickname “Lone Star State” is a tribute to the Texas state flag. It contains a single white star on a field of blue on the left and horizontal white and red stripes on the right. It was adopted after declaring independence from Mexico and kept after gaining statehood in the U.S.
27. El Paso is closer to California than it is to Dallas.
28. The Texas State Fair is the largest in the U.S. It is estimated that almost 3.5 million people attended the fair in 2015.
29. The World’s Largest Cowboy Boots are located at Rocketbuster Hand Made Custom Boots in El Paso, Texas.
30. The colors used on the Texas flag are the same as those used on the United States flag. Each color has its meaning: red for bravery, white for purity, and blue for loyalty.
31. The state sport of Texas is Rodeo. Rodeo is a sport that tests the skill and speed of cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding, and barrel racing.  It was adopted as the Texas state sport in 1997.
32. Texas leads the country in wool production.
33. Texas has a wide variety of physical regions, including coastal plains, lowlands, plains, mountains, and deserts.
34. The South Congress Bridge in Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony, and Bracken Cave in San Antonio features the largest bat colony in the country.
35. The song “Texas, Our Texas” became the official state anthem in 1929. Initially, the piece included lyrics referring to Texas as the “largest and grandest” state in the country.
36. Caddo Lake is found on the border of Texas and Louisiana and is the only natural lake in Texas. It sprawls over 25,000 acres, and its name is derived from the Caddo Native American groups that originally inhabited the area before being forcibly relocated.
37. If you aren’t happy with the forecast, then a Texas law states that if you want to “modify” the weather you are required to place a notification in the local newspaper first. 
38. Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of John F. Kennedy (the 35th President of the United States) was arrested in Texas Theater in Dallas, Texas.
39. The Rio Grande is the largest river in Texas.
40. There are three power grids in the United States, one for the western half of the country, one for the eastern half of the country, and one for the state of Texas! 

41. The deadliest natural disaster in United States history occurred in Texas. The Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 took between 6,000 and 12,000 lives with a storm surge of 8–15 ft (2.4–4.5m). The next deadliest hurricane in U.S. history was Hurricane Katrina, which claimed 1,200 lives.
42. The state dish of Texas is Chili Con Carne. Chili con carne (chili with meat) was a trail stew that cowboys made with dried beef and dried chilies, and it was made the state dish in 1977.
43. The Texas State Capitol Dome is taller than the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C.
44. Texas is home to more than 13% of the nation’s cattle, owning 13 million heads of cattle.
45. Texas is the fifth biggest wine producer in the U.S. Fredericksburg is at the heart of Texas’ wine country, and one of the top things to do in Fredericksburg is of course visit wineries!
46. Texas is also a hot spot for the second-largest group of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S.
47. Texas held the world’s first rodeo on July 4, 1883, starting a legacy that has carried over into the present day.
48. On June 19th, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, a proclamation was read to the people of Galveston that officially ended slavery. African-American Texans continued to celebrate this day as Juneteenth until it became an official state holiday in 1980 and a federal holiday in 2021.
49.  There were feral camels in Texas. The last sighting in North America was in 1941 near Douglas. It was most likely a descendant of the ones used in the short-lived U.S. Army Camel Corps.
50. The highest national speed limit is observed in Texas on a stretch between San Antonio and Austin on Texas State Highway 130. Here it is allowed to drive up to 85 miles per hour.
51. Billy Bob’s Texas is found in Fort Worth and is listed as one of the free things to do in Fort Worth. 
52. Sprawled across 825,000 acres, King Ranch is home to over 200 Quarter Horses and over 35,000 heads of cattle. The ranch reaches into six different counties and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
53. The state insect of Texas is the Monarch Butterfly. Texas is home to more butterfly species than any other state—at least 400. The monarch butterfly was designated the state insect in 1995. 
54. Texas is the largest domestic producer of oil in the U.S. Lyne T. Barret set up the first oil well in Texas in 1866, located in Nacogdoches County (East Texas).
55. Texas has more guns than any other U.S. state, with more than 1 million registered firearms.
56. There are estimated to be approximately 250,000 Vietnamese speakers living throughout the state, and Chinese come in fourth with roughly 200,000 speakers.
57. The Texas State Capitol building has 360,000 square feet and is home to the state legislature and the governor. It is bigger than any capitol building in the U.S. other than the National Capitol in Washington, D.C.
58. Fritos were invented in the 1930s in San Antonio, and are today produced by the Plano-based Frito-Lay Company. They’re an essential ingredient in that Texas convenience store staple, Frito pie.
59. A couple from Texas has claimed the Guinness World Record title of the oldest married couple in the world with their combined age of 211.
60.  7-11 began in Dallas in 1927, while Whole Foods began in Austin in 1980.

61. A site near Amarillo, Texas, holds more than 40% of the helium used annually in the U.S. The gas, which makes your voice sound higher when inhaled, is held in the Federal Helium Reserve. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management operates the reserve.
62. Less than 10% of Texas’ land area is desert.
63. Texans have their own version of Mexican Food. Tex-Mex is a fusion of Mexican, Tejano, and American food styles. 
64. A time capsule in Texas contains a passbook to a bank account expected to be worth $1 quadrillion by the time it opens in 2968.
65. Texas is home to “Silicon Hills,” a name that describes the large group of high-tech companies in the Greater Austin area.
66. The state also has more deer than any other state.
67. In Texas, it’s illegal to milk someone else’s cow, and you can incur a penalty of up to $10 for doing so.
68. Big Bend National Park is found in the desolate Chihuahuan Desert shared by Mexico and the United States. Despite this harsh environment, thousands of protected plants and animals flourish here, including cougars, golden eagles, and Mexican black bears.
69. Texas is home to 3 of the United States’ largest cities.  Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio all made the top 10 of the list of the largest cities in the U.S.
70. The centerpiece of Palo Duro Canyon State Park in northern Texas, the Palo Duro Canyon is 120 miles long and up to 1,000 feet deep. Its size and steep, multi-colored walls have earned it the nickname, “The Grand Canyon of Texas”.
71. One of the oldest human skeletons found in the Americas is that of “Midland Man,” who is actually a woman. These remains, which are at least 9,500 years old (some estimates put the age at a lot older), were uncovered by a pipeline welder while working on a ranch in Midland in 1953. 
72. There are more than 1.5 million undocumented immigrants in Texas.
73. The Guadalupe Mountains in western Texas make for more interesting Texas facts. They mark the northernmost reach of the rugged Sierra Madre Oriental range, are a protected national park, and contain Guadalupe Peak. This mountain summit soars to 8,751 feet and is the highest point in Texas.
74. An archaeological site beside Buttermilk Creek outside Salado has yielded human artifacts that may be up to 15,500 years old. 
75. Two doctors namely Frank Gerow and Thomas Cronin are credited with the invention of breast implants. In 1962, the first of these implants was done on Texan Timmie Jean Lindsay.